9/26/2013

September 26, 2013

​Organization joins multimillion
dollar global action plan to Save Africa’s Elephants from rampant illegal
wildlife trade that is decimating species, undermining natural capital for
sustainable development and threatening security in the U.S. and abroad.

Arlington, VA / New York, NY —
Joining forces with four leading conservation partners and with the support of
the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and several African governments, Conservation International (CI) announced its
participation today in a three-year $80 million global action plan to Save
Africa's Elephants from illegal ivory trade. Wildlife trafficking has
exploded in recent years and increasingly threatens to undermine U.S. and global
economic and security interests, while decimating Sub Saharan Africa's
culturally, ecologically, and financially valuable natural wealth.

CI's Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Peter Seligmann​,
expressed his full support for the Commitment to Action, along with peers from
the African Wildlife Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wildlife
Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund, who joined Clinton Foundation Vice
Chair, Chelsea Clinton, on stage at the CGI an​nual meeting in New York this
week. Conservation International is a member of the Clinton Global
Initiative.

Seligmann said: "We applaud the
Clinton Global Initiative for bringing this issue to the world stage, and
greatly appreciate the deep and sustained personal involvement of Secretary
Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, as well as that of our NGO, foundation and
government partners. Wildlife trafficking is directly connected to the global
economy and security. It weakens ecosystems, fuels terrorist organizations, and
threatens livelihoods. Conservation International is proud to be a part of this
Commitment to Action, as it is in all of our enlightened self-interests to put
an end to this deadly trade."

As one of the world's most lucrative criminal
activities, valued at $7-10 billion annually, illegal wildlife trade ranks fifth
globally in terms of value, behind the trafficking in drugs, people, oil and
counterfeiting. Rapidly growing demand in Asia and skyrocketing prices for ivory
in the black market have been fueling the massive slaughter of elephants and
pushing them to the brink of extinction. The populations of African forest
elephants have declined by 76 percent since 2002 and there are now only about
80,000 remaining in the wild. It is estimated that at least 35,000 African
elephants were slaughtered by poachers in 2012 alone. Used in products ranging
from chopsticks to expensive carvings, ivory currently sells for nearly $1,000
per pound.

Illegal wildlife trade has been increasingly
practiced by terrorist organizations. Money from poaching is directly linked to
funding of rebel organizations and terrorist networks like the Janjaweed militia
in Darfur, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda and al Shabaab in Somalia,
an al-Qaeda-linked group that claimed responsibility for a deadly assault on a
mall in Kenya this past weekend. Areas controlled by militants and gangs are
used as staging areas for smuggling illegal ivory, and profits from poaching are
used to fund weapons purchases.

Elephants are an essential component of the world's
remaining forests and natural habitats that provide food, water and other
benefits for impoverished communities in developing countries, as well as major
economic contributions to nations in the form of wildlife-based tourism.
Globally, wildlife-based tourism has been estimated to account for 20-40 percent
of all international tourism. For instance, Botswana’s wildlife resources,
including the country's elephant population, represent a key source of
employment and income associated with tourism, which has been identified by the
government as an engine of future economic growth.

Conservation International works with 19 African
elephant countries through various initiatives. The organization is committed to
work with governments to disrupt illicit networks by ensuring that national
development plans value and protect elephants. "This will help to provide local
communities with economic opportunities from wildlife tourism as an alternative
to illegal poaching for the ivory trade," said Seligmann.

Conservation International also applauds His
Excellency Ian Khama, President of Botswana and CI board member, for
his leadership role in combating wildlife trafficking. Today, Botswana and
several African nations announced at the Clinton Global Initiative a commitment
to pursue or re-state national moratoria on all commercial imports, exports and
domestic sales and purchases of tusks and ivory products until wild elephant
populations are no longer threatened by poaching for trade.

"We congratulate President Ian Khama for his
leadership in recognizing that wildlife is more precious alive, as a source of
sustainable development. We hope this commitment will encourage other countries
to follow suit," said Seligmann.

Botswana co-hosted with Conservation International a
summit in May 2012 that resulted in leaders from ten African nations signing on
to the landmark Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in
Africa and pledging to value and account for their natural capital in
national accounting systems. At the summit, countries reaffirmed their
determination to promote sustainable development by placing nature’s goods and
services at the center of national planning processes.

The signing members of the Gaborone Declaration will
meet again in October to share progress made so far and update their plans in an
event organized by the Government of Botswana, Conservation International, the
United Nations Development Program and the World Bank.

Conservation International -
Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field
demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for
nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of people. Founded in 1987,
CI is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. CI employs more than 800 staff
in 29 countries on six continents and works with more than 1,000 partners around
the world. For more information, please see www.conservation.org
or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
(CGI)

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation,
convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the
world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more
than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs,
heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media.
To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already
improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When
fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5
billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on
collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, andCGI
University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to
address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more
information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us
on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.​